This is the final chapter of Werewolves of Sinnoh! If you've read this far: Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. You have no idea how much this all means to me.

In the ensuing days, I expect to publish a new story, one that entered my head recently. If you're on my Discord server (the link is in the story's description), you'll know when it happens. I still have to outline it, so this won't happen immediately.

You guys are amazing! This last chapter is dedicated to my fans from around the world.

CODY HARVARD, 19

One morning (at least, I thought it was morning), I was rudely awoken by the sound of someone rapping on the door.

Of course, I'd come to expect this. Every time food was brought to my cell, noise would be made, and the door would be opened for the food to be given to me. Of course, the grub itself was absolutely disgusting, but I didn't want to starve, so I choked it down anyway.

"Come in" I said groggily, but the door was already open. Even if it was a hostile person on the other end, the prospect that I'd finally get to speak to someone made me rather excited. Hopefully it really happened, but I knew it would be unwise to get my hopes up.

To my surprise, the same guard I'd seen many times prior to this did not set a plate of food in front of me. Instead, he smiled and said, "Come with me."

The smile didn't exactly make me feel better. Perhaps he actively meant harm towards me, or maybe he would simply be happy to get rid of me. Either way, I didn't think the guard's smile was a good sign.

I got up off the weight bench and stood to my full height. Even this simple action was made more difficult by my lack of energy. I had to steady myself with my arms, too; they must not have been giving me enough water.

Doesn't Sinnoh have some law against cruel and unusual punishment?

Anyway, I followed the guard out of the cell and into the hallway, since I had no other choice. He led me past many other cell doors, all of which were locked. Many of them had Christmas decorations on them, which surprised me; wasn't this a place where no such celebration could occur?

Eh, I probably just haven't been here long enough.

We passed by the secretary's desk. After the guard showed him a sheet of paper (the words on which I couldn't make out), said guard beckoned for me to follow him to a police cruiser.

I sighed deeply at the sight. I didn't exactly have good memories of cop cars; but then, who did?

Reluctantly, I climbed into the police car. I noticed belatedly that there were no handcuffs around my wrists, and that nobody sat next to me in the backseat. There were no assistants making sure I didn't step out of the line; there had been nothing stopping me from not getting into the police car.

Once we were on the road, however, I knew that trying to escape would be a bad idea. It was then that I realized something else - something hopeful.

Perhaps the lack of handcuffs meant that these police officers knew something I didn't. Maybe it meant that I'd be sent somewhere that handcuffs weren't necessary. Maybe that somewhere was solitary confinement, but it didn't seem that way.

What if…no, I can't count my Torchics before they're hatched. I don't want to get my hopes up before they fall.

After a relatively short drive, we arrived at the courthouse. It was, of course, a different courthouse from the one that had been set ablaze not too long ago. Sometimes when I closed my eyes, I could still see the flames licking the walls, and still feel the terror that had risen within me.

Once the police car ground to a halt, I was told to climb out and did so. "Follow us into Courtroom Seven" one of the cops outside instructed.

I braced myself to be locked into handcuffs again, but this didn't happen. It struck me that there was no force involved in this, no coercion at all. It appeared as though, had I wanted to, I could have simply turned around and run away. I wouldn't have gotten very far, but it was at least an option.

This caused more of an unwelcome sensation to course through my veins: Hope. After who knew how long in jail, hope was something I could hardly believe still existed.

Once in Courtroom Seven, I saw that dozens of people (and about ten or fifteen Pokemon) were sitting in the stands. I didn't recognize very many of them, but there were four notable exceptions.

My parents were at the defense table, which is where they told me to sit. I did as I was told, but I didn't hug my parents or anything like that. Our reunion was still tense, and our bond was going to remain so, perhaps for the rest of our lives. Besides, I didn't want the audience (or potential jurors) to think I wasn't taking my case seriously.

At the prosecution's table, there sat a short young woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. I hadn't seen her in her human form in quite some time, but I would have recognized Bella Fox anywhere.

Bella didn't look at me as I sat down. This seemed like a red flag; if she had indeed decided to drop the charges against me, I didn't think she would refuse to acknowledge me. No, the simplest explanation was that she just couldn't stand the sight of me.

"So…Indictment number 1495, levied against Cody Matthew Harvard, a single count of first-degree assault that occurred on the evening of October 31, 202X. That is the case pending before us today."

That was Judge Inteleon speaking, and his voice made the stakes crystal clear to me. One way or another, I was going to get off the emotional roller coaster today. The million-dollar question was: Would I get off safely at the exit, or would it eject me violently?

Judge Inteleon cleared his throat. I hadn't expected what he said next.

"At least, that was the case pending before us today. Yesterday evening, the plaintiff, one Isabella Fox, notified us in writing that she has forgiven the defendant, and believes that this was all a mistake. As a result, Indictment number 1495 has been dropped."

Suddenly, I felt lighter than the air, as though I could have shoved off from the floor and begun flying around the room. After all, that's exactly what I was: Free.

Of course, I had to have a little more self-restraint than that. As stated above, I didn't want the audience to think that I was taking this all lightly; Bella Fox was still a were-Lycanroc, after all, and I'd still caused it.

But I wouldn't end up in prison. Indeed, I wouldn't spend another hour in that crummy little cell. And that meant the world to me.

I wanted to thank Bella for that, but she still wouldn't look my way. She barely even acknowledged me as she stood up and walked out of the courtroom.

Judge Inteleon continued reading off a sheet of paper. "Given that this is the only charge the defendant faced, I will say it to you, loud and clear: Cody Matthew Harvard, you are now a free man."

I was tempted to hug my parents; as embarrassing as it was to admit this, I'd missed them quite a lot during the last month or so. But even if I'd been exonerated, I knew that things weren't going to be the same between us as they'd been before. Too much had happened; it was as simple as that.

The bail money that had been collected was returned to my parents, and then we were allowed to leave. As long as I stayed out of trouble, I wouldn't see the inside of a courtroom ever again, and for that, I was extremely grateful.

While it had been quite the ordeal, there were two silver linings that came in the form of valuable lessons that I'd learned. They by no means made up for all the suffering it had brought myself and Bella, but they did help to ameliorate it somewhat.

One: No matter how angry someone is with you, it's best to remain on their good side as much as possible. Even if you can't make them forgive you, you can make them angrier if you don't play your cards right, and that will only make things worse.

Bella and I might never be friends again. From this vantage point, I didn't know if we'd even speak to each other amicably for the rest of our lives. But, by doing my best to show my good side, she'd come around to the view that I shouldn't be locked away in prison for what essentially amounted to an unfortunate accident.

That leads us into the second lesson, which is the following: Always refrigerate your wolfsbane, no matter how many people will be alerted to your lycanthropy. I promise you, it is worth it in the end.

When we arrived home in Skylock, I had to pinch myself to make sure I was actually here. I'd grown so used to being in jail, and before that been so accustomed to Lycan Hollow, that my primary residence felt exotic.

I got weird looks from my parents as I gaped at the kitchen counter, and I don't blame them; it must have been pretty odd to see someone who'd lived here most of his life suddenly be surprised by everything.

I helped my parents decorate the Christmas tree they'd picked out from a rather obscure tree farm. They told me that they hadn't wanted to go to the more well-trafficked place because they might see people they knew. Apparently my legal drama had been more widely covered than I'd realized.

They also explained that, for this reason, they'd tried to avoid shopping for groceries during the peak hours. They normally invited friends over for a Yankee swap at Christmastime, but that wasn't going to happen this year. While they were fairly well-connected within their circle of friends, they'd stepped back from it ever since I'd infected Bella.

I considered letting them know that this is how I'd felt for the last five years, more or less, and that they finally understood what it was like to be me. But I didn't think this would make the situation any better, so I kept my mouth shut.

As you've probably figured out by now, my family life wasn't how it had been for most of my time on this planet. My parents seemed to have come to their own verdict: Not guilty, but not exactly innocent either. I'd been hoping that they would understand the circumstances, but that didn't appear to be the case.

I wonder why they don't seem as understanding as Bella. Bella, the one whose life is changed forever after I bit her! She'll always be a were-Lycanroc, but she was still able to forgive me, even if she'll never trust me again.

Much like my parents tended to stay away from peak hours at the grocery store, I tried to avoid them around the house as much as possible. I would eat breakfast alone every morning, in my bedroom if necessary. It was what I'd been doing a few days every month since I was fourteen, so I was used to it by now.

During this time, I wondered what had become of Jeremy the Rockruff. Come to think of it, I hadn't seen him since my most recent arrest. This question kept rolling over and over, like a stone being turned inside my brain, until I worked up the courage to ask my parents what they knew.

Over coffee (and hot chocolate in my case), my parents explained that Jeremy had lived with them for some time. Now, he was living with Bella's parents.

"He's going to alternate weeks between us two families" my mother said, to which I did the unexpected: I laughed.

"What's so funny?" my dad asked me.

"What's funny", I replied, trying to stop laughing, "is that when we were in the woods, I once compared Bella and myself to a divorced couple who were still Jeremy's family nonetheless. I didn't realize how accurate that would end up being."

That got a laugh out of my father, but my mother didn't seem to find it very amusing. I suppose it really is different with mothers.

After that, my relationship with my father started to thaw. I think that brief episode reminded him that I was still his son at the end of the day, and that family ties wouldn't be broken that easily.

My mother, on the other hand, was a different story. We didn't hate each other, not even close, but it was clear that we wouldn't have our same lighthearted relationship again anytime soon. Of course, my own werewolf bite (the one I'd received) had changed everything long ago.

Later that week, a few days before Christmas, the doorbell rang while I was eating dinner with my dad. (My mother had already gone to bed, claiming she had a headache. I didn't buy it.)

"I'll get it" I said, springing out of my seat and walking to the door. Once I opened it, I was hit with a mostly unwelcome surprise.

On the other side of the door, there was a man and woman I'd never met. However, they bore such an uncanny resemblance to the human form of Bella Fox that I could only assume they were her parents.

"Good evening" I said to them, probably sounding rather awkward. "How are you two doing tonight?"

Bella's parents looked at each other, and then Mr. Fox glared at me.

"We are doing as well as could be expected. Although my daughter did not make the decision I expected her to, we will abide by it. In any case, that is not why we came."

He means that he didn't think Bella would drop the charges. Of course that's what he means. But what does he mean by "abide by it"?

"Why did you come, then?" I asked, trying to be as polite as I could. It was hard to be polite when faced with two people who very clearly resented me.

There was a somewhat awkward silence, followed by Mrs. Fox gesturing at someone I couldn't see.

"We came to bring Jeremy back. He'll be spending Christmas with you and your parents. I'm not sure if there were other traditions where he's from, but I think he'll be excited to celebrate his first human Christmas anyway."

I didn't have the heart to ask Mrs. Fox how much she knew. Had Bella told her about the attack on Lycan Hollow? Had said event been reported on by the news media? No matter how I asked it, it would open a can of worms that I wanted to remain shut.

Seconds later, Jeremy came bounding into the house excitedly. For a moment, I was worried he'd break something with how much energy he clearly possessed. Fortunately, this did not happen.

"Cody! I'm so happy to see you again! You have no idea how worried I was!"

I furrowed my brow in surprise. "Why were you worried? Didn't Bella tell you that she was going to forgive me?"

"No, she didn't" Jeremy replied, skidding to a halt on the carpet right in front of me. "She kept her decision a secret until the morning you were released. I was quite terrified for you."

"Well, there's no need to be anymore. I appreciate the concern, though."

I then remembered that Mr. and Mrs. Fox still stood at the door, and they weren't exactly happy with me even if I had been cleared of the charge. So I motioned for Jeremy to be quiet and then turned to face them again.

"Thanks for bringing him to us. We'll show him a good Christmas, I promise." And, to prove my point and add dramatic effect, I took a bow in front of them.

"Very well" Mr. Fox replied. "We will see you next week."

Jeremy was evidently over the moon to see me. Truth be told, I didn't blame him, for I felt the same way about the Rockruff kid.

"Did you already eat dinner?" I asked Jeremy as we walked over to where my father was sitting.

The Rockruff shook his head, smiling and panting.

"Okay. We've got plenty for you to eat here, and I'm not going to break my promise to Bella's parents. I'll treat you like a member of my own family, because that's exactly what you are: Family."

I could see Jeremy's tail start to wag as I said that last word, and I couldn't help but smile. Yes, it would take a very long time for things to get back to normal; that is, if "normal" would ever exist again for me. But in the meantime, there were plenty of things to look forward to.

For instance, I'd received notification from Greater Pastoria University that I'd be reinstated. However, since I'd missed nearly half of the fall semester, I would require an extra semester to graduate. Honestly, that was a small price to pay, since last month, I hadn't thought I'd ever be going back.

In addition, I hoped I'd be able to make new friends once I returned to college. Whether they were genuine friendships or not, I didn't really care; all I wanted was to have more people to talk to.

Solitary confinement will really mess with your mind.

When Christmas Day rolled around, I didn't get any material presents, for my parents hadn't expected me to return. However, that was just fine with me, because I didn't need such presents. Just being with my family again was the greatest gift I could have asked for.

As the day of my return to GPU grew closer, I became increasingly nervous. Even if the university's administration had decided to let my lapse in judgment slide, that didn't mean the other students would feel the same way.

I literally spent several weeks in jail, and a couple days in the wilderness of Central Sinnoh. I can do just about anything, can't I?

It was still hard to force myself to register for classes. To some degree, everything seemed too good to be true. As though, if I pinched myself, it would turn out that I'd been dreaming.

Going back to university meant that I'd be around other people my age yet again (humans, mind you, not Lycanroc and Rockruff) and that I'd have to overcome my reputation. And, while I didn't have to speak to her at all if I didn't want to, it would be nice to be on better terms with Bella Fox.

This might surprise you, but that last item on the list came more readily than anybody expected.

During the break, Bella and I texted each other occasionally. At first it was purely related to Jeremy; when would she drive him to my house, when would I drive him to her house, what would we feed him, where would we take him on walks, etc. We kept our communication businesslike and formal so that things remained as peaceful as possible.

After a while, though, our texts became less formal and more made up of small talk. We would discuss our courses for the upcoming semester, our favorite music that would be coming out in the new year, and other things not strictly related to our joint custody of Jeremy.

Were we rekindling a friendship? Had we truly decided to put our earlier differences "under the bridge", as it were, and move on with our lives? Those questions kept me up some nights.

Not once during these virtual exchanges did either of us bring up Halloween night. We didn't talk about whether or not she'd truly forgiven me ( although, come to think of it, the answer was almost certainly yes.) And, most of all, we didn't discuss the horrific event that had brought us together once more.

Speaking of Lycan Hollow, whenever Jeremy was with my family, he was still energetic, but it was a different kind of energy now. It felt more mature, almost, because he seemed to understand how important restraint could be.

Perhaps losing his parents had changed him. Or perhaps it was just a function of growing up. How much longer until he evolved into a Lycanroc?

Well, when that happens, he'll still be Jeremy. He'll still be a part of our extended family. His position on the evolutionary line won't suddenly change that.

Finally, the day came when Bella and I were due to return to GPU. I insisted on driving myself; while I didn't have anything against my parents, I wanted some time on my own. We'd had a lot of each other lately, after all.

Along the way, while paying attention to the road of course, I had ample time to ponder all the mysteries that plagued my brain. Some questions had been answered, of course, but many others remained extant.

First of all, who had attacked Lycan Hollow? If it was a foreign government, why had they done it? Did they simply believe that a small village in the Coronet Range was a worthy, easy target?

Honestly, probably.

And then I remembered my dream from right before I'd been arrested the most recent time. It had been relegated to the very back of my mind, as though my brain were a library and this dream was in the restricted section.

There had been a tall, dark gray wolf sitting on a throne made of sand. He had a name, but what was that name again?

I concentrated so hard on trying to remember the name that I nearly rear-ended the vehicle in front of me. As soon as I'd slammed on the brakes, however, I went right back to scouring the memory banks.

Goldenheart! His name was Master Goldenheart, and he was thrilled when the news arrived about Lycan Hollow's destruction. But he wasn't responsible for it; he couldn't have been, because he acted surprised.

Of course, individuals could always feign surprise if they wanted to hide that they'd done something, but somehow, I didn't think that's what was happening.

That brought to mind another question: Who was Master Goldenheart? Obviously I knew he led the Zoroark clan that had threatened Lycan Hollow, but why had he infiltrated my dreams like that?

Last but not least (indeed, the most important question of all), where did we go from here? Now that I'd been on the run from the law, spent time in jail, been exonerated, and spent time in a Lycanroc village I hadn't known existed two months ago, what was next?

Surprisingly, that turned out to be the easiest one to answer. As I pulled into GPU's parking garage, turned off my car's engine, and began to unload my belongings to take to my dorm room, I increasingly knew what I needed to do.

I have to put all of this behind me, and I have to be an effective student. I have to live my life, because I only have one.

Max Saint Lawrence, who had remained my roommate, was an enigma. When I first saw him that day, he was lounging in a chair next to the residence hall's rec room, a rather mysterious expression on his face. It was very hard to read it.

He can't be planning something, can he?

"Good day to you, Cody" he said, not sounding as though he truly wanted me to have a good day.

As I sat down in the chair next to him, placing my duffel bag on the floor, I cut right to the chase. "There's no need to be so cryptic, Max. I know what you're thinking."

Max frowned. "What is it?"

"You think I'm some kind of monster for what I did back in October, don't you?"

He shrugged. "I mean, you are a were-Lycanroc. By definition, that makes you a monster, whether you're a bad person or not."

"But you know what I mean, Max. Do you think I'm morally a monster, or not?"

Max sighed. "Look, Cody, I don't know what to believe. I knew you for two months before I found out you were a were-Lycanroc; at least, I thought I knew you. I would have loved to know before you bit Bella."

Exasperation rose within my throat, but I knew I couldn't raise my voice too much. I had a reputation to fix.

"Look, Max. It was an accident, and you know it. Yes, I made a mistake too; I shouldn't have been so shy about keeping my wolfsbane cool. But Bella seems to forgive me; she's the only reason I'm a free man right now."

My roommate sighed. "Whatever. I guess we're stuck with each other, since it's too late to apply for a single room. But", he continued, chuckling a bit, "I had a single for the last month and a half of the fall semester. I suppose it's time for me to experience proper dorm life again."

With that, we came to an unspoken agreement that we wouldn't speak to each other any more than necessary. This was less due to anger and more because if we did, it was likely to devolve into another argument. Our life together would be a lot more pleasant if we stayed out of one another's way.

I knew, of course, that my social life was once more in the gutter. If Max didn't want to be friends with me, it seemed likely that I'd be a relative outcast during the spring semester. Of course, this was familiar territory for me.

Oh well, I remember thinking to myself. Friendship is overrated. This isn't middle school anymore, this is college. I've got more important things to worry about.

Over the next few weeks, I did my best to settle back into the routine associated with college. This wasn't exactly an easy task, but it was very much a necessary one.

It was funny, really. After everything I'd been through over the last couple of months, after all of the chaos and all of the twists and turns, regular life began to feel extraordinary. I wasn't used to getting up every day at a normal hour, eating in the dining hall, and going to classes every day.

I always ate alone in the dining hall, of course. The other students didn't seem to want anything to do with me, and if they did, it was likely only because they wanted to ask me what jail was like.

The glances I received made one thing perfectly clear: Everybody knew about my lycanthropy, so there was no point in trying to keep anything secret anymore. How ironic was it that my decision to keep my status as a were-Lycanroc a secret had ended up totally backfiring, exposing myself further.

Bella and I talked to each other on occasion, so my potential for human interaction wasn't completely busted after all. Slowly but surely, it seemed like our friendship might be starting to come back. We had a class together, so we would sometimes study with each other in the library.

I was always the one to invite her, taking care so as to sound eager rather than desperate. We'd meet on the top floor of the academic commons building (which contained the library) and go over our notes with one another, talk about the upcoming assignments, etc. Occasionally we would be distracted with thoughts of Jeremy's well-being, but we'd get back on task before long.

When our joint study sessions ended, we would leave in opposite directions, so that it looked like we'd both been studying alone. Not very many people used the library's top floor to study, so we usually didn't see other students anyway.

As you can probably guess, this was done so that we weren't seen together. If I'd been getting peculiar looks before for my condition, they would pale in comparison with the looks both of us would receive if we were seen studying together.

Eventually, you could have fooled me into thinking that my life had gone back to "normal." Again, normal is a relative term here, for I wasn't convinced that I'd ever live a mundane existence again. I still turned into a Lycanroc every full moon, still had to live in separate housing during that time, and still kept thinking about Jeremy.

January went by, followed by February. As each week passed, my life seemed to achieve its usual rhythm again, and it was easy enough to believe that I'd never attacked Bella. It was possible to convince myself that all of it had been a weird fever dream.

One day in the middle of March, however, this facade of normality came crashing down.

I was on my computer, surfing the Internet from the comfort of my dorm room. Max was not present; only later would he learn of the event that would rock my world.

It occurred to me that I should check my email. This was something we were expected to do regularly, so that we'd be updated on our assignments and any other announcements professors had to make. I clicked on that tab and saw that there was a notification for me.

There's a package for me at the mailroom. I wonder what that could be.

I hardly ever received mail at college, not that I asked for it. There was nothing I really wanted, so I didn't think too much about the notification. Still, it would be best not to clog up the mailroom with unopened packages, so, realizing I had a little over an hour before my next class, I decided to go and retrieve it.

It was a chilly day, make no mistake about it, but winter was finally starting to recede. The snow on the ground was mostly gone, and the grass shone brightly in the sun.

I vaguely wondered how Lycan Hollow would look in the springtime, but I shot down that line of thought as it brought tears to my eyes. It broke my heart to think of that place being gone, and it was equally devastating to think of all the villagers who had lost their lives on that dark day.

Somehow, I managed to avoid crying as I entered the mailroom. Still, the student whom I showed my GPU ID card to must have noticed that my eyes were redder than they should have been.

"What's wrong, Cody?" he asked me. "You just got mail, aren't you excited about that?"

I shook my head. "Not really."

There was a foreboding feeling within my heart. I couldn't quite place it, but I believed somehow that the package contained hazardous contents. Either that, or it would be a letter containing terrible news.

I had no concrete evidence to support either of those conclusions. Sometimes you just believe, without a shadow of a doubt, that you're right about something. There was no other way to describe it.

The student worker handed me my package, which was a narrow one. It was probably only large enough to contain one envelope. Just in case I had a pronounced reaction to the contents, I decided that I'd read it in the privacy of my own dorm room.

"Thank you, sir" I told the student worker. "I'll see you next time."

I carried the manila envelope back to the residence hall, and from there, back to my room. Max still wasn't there, which was a major relief. Quite frankly, this was none of his business.

The envelope held no return address. This meant that it had probably been sent to me through less-than-official means. At least, that's what I assumed; I didn't send or receive letters very often. It's an occupational hazard of being among the werewolves of Sinnoh.

My heart pounded as I realized that this was the moment of truth. If I read the letter now, there would be no un-reading it later. For the rest of my life, I would have to deal with the implications of whatever the letter said.

Plenty of bad things have happened to me over the last few months. I think I can handle it.

Ripping open the envelope, I saw that, sure enough, there was a smaller envelope beneath it. Once I opened the smaller one, I held a simple sheet of paper in my hands. It had been folded over a few times, but the words on it were still legible.

Dear Cody,

If you are reading this, it can be assumed that you are well. At least, that is what I hope. But that's not why I'm writing.

I'll keep it short and sweet; I am among the enemy right now, but I hope one day to be among friends. And you could be my friend, although not in the way schoolchildren speak of friendship. Perhaps "ally" is a better word.

I reach out to you in the hope that you'll join me. Together, we can bring down a vast empire that threatens our future. Together, we can create a more just world.

Seek me out in the ruins of Lycan Hollow. I'll be there…eventually.

Sincerely,
Triple-C

I nearly dropped the letter once I was finished reading it.

This wasn't over yet. Of course, I should have expected this, but reading the letter made one thing crystal clear to me; this, despite the fact that every answered question only raised yet another question.

I'd hoped that the chaos would be over soon, but my hopes had been dashed. The chaos had only just begun.

The End

I've got another idea. It won't officially be a sequel, but it will still involve Cody. It should be up pretty soon; be on the lookout for "Last Gasp."

If you ever want to talk to me, for any reason, find me on Discord at Lucas the Lion #7822.